


Glad You Came

by QED_Scribblings



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Blind Date, F/M, First Meetings, Fluff, Gen, He just doesn't like to admit it, M/M, Original Percival Graves is a Softie, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-27
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2019-03-24 17:52:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13816377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QED_Scribblings/pseuds/QED_Scribblings
Summary: Percival had no idea why he agreed to this.Tina had caught him in a moment of weakness. He’d been half asleep. The office espresso machine was on the fritz. Without a shot of caffeine for at least 7 hours he’d been moments away from rubbing coffee grounds into his gums just to get by. Frankly, he was legally impaired.So when Tina walked into his office with the strongest coffee Espresso Bar down the road offered, and a muffin to boot - he’d have agreed to anything to win her favour. Extra vacation days, a personal loan, assistance disposing of a corpse - anything! At the time he thought agreeing to go on a blind date was practically a steal. Even if it was with her beloved fiance’s brother.





	Glad You Came

**Author's Note:**

> A short fic for the 'Fantastic Beasts Calendar' and inspired by my 'Long Distance AU'. This could develop into a series, I've not decided yet XD

Percival had  _ no idea _ why he agreed to this. 

Tina had caught him in a moment of weakness. He’d been half asleep. The office espresso machine was on the fritz. Without a shot of caffeine for at least 7 hours he’d been moments away from rubbing coffee grounds into his gums just to get by. Frankly, he was legally impaired.

So when Tina walked into his office with the strongest coffee Espresso Bar down the road offered, and a muffin to boot - he’d have agreed to  _ anything  _ to win her favour. Extra vacation days, a personal loan, assistance disposing of a corpse -  _ anything! _ At the time he thought agreeing to go on a blind date was practically a steal. Even if it was with her beloved fiance’s brother. 

Now he was waiting at an airport terminal with a frankly sickeningly excited underling, that didn’t entirely seem to be the case. 

“Remind me again what’s wrong with him?” he sighed, sipping his second coffee of the morning while they waited.

Tina shot him a sharp look. 

“Stop asking me what’s wrong with him!” Tina hissed. 

“It’s a fair question,” he replied. “I’m the one that has to spend the day with the guy after all. While you’re off being disgusting with your fiance, inflicting  _ young love _ on the city at large. 

Tina shot him an exceedingly put upon look, before heaving a deep sigh.

“He’s. Fine,” she said firmly. “More than fine. He’s lovely - like I’ve told you.”

“If he is so lovely, why exactly does he need you and Newt setting him up with strangers?”

“Percival,” Tina grumbled, her hands coming to rest on her hips - a warning sign if ever there was one, but Percival paid her no mind (he was her boss, after all. She couldn’t actually strike him or anything). 

“This is the behaviour of desperate people if ever I saw it,” he drawled, arms folded over his chest. 

Tina glared at him for a long moment, before giving a quiet sniff and turning her attention deliberately back to the gate doors, still devoid of passengers and fiances. 

“You know, Boss, not everything is a conspiracy,” she said.

Percival snorted. 

“An interesting claim to flout, after your recent behaviour.”

“Excuse me?” Tina cried, whirling back around to look at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Percival eyed the paper coffee cup in his hands idly, swirling the rapidly cooling brew inside it as he replied, “I was just thinking about how interesting it is that the espresso machine started working again as soon as I agreed to this charade. It’s almost like the whole situation was engineered by someone.”

He looked up at Tina, who appeared to be torn between exactly two emotions - chagring at being called out in her deception, and smugness over it having worked so well for her. 

Before Percival could call her out further on the latter (and perhaps re-assert a little authority in this relationship, he did hold seniority after all) Tina cut him off once again. 

“You left me with no choice. It’s for your own good.”

“Damn, you’ve jumped right down the villainous rabbit-hole, haven’t you?”

“Sir,” Tina groaned, tipping her head back again. 

“Just throw in a ‘ _ you’ll thank me one day _ ’ and maybe a cape - and you’re there.”

“You  _ will _ thank me one day because he’s lovely!” Tina said again, firmly and loud enough to have several people turn to give them strange looks. Percival scoffed as he watched her cringe, but push on regardless (though in a decidedly more hushed voice).

“He’s a detective, like you. Ex-army, like you. Very handsome and funny and sweet too. A really good big brother. Hard working, honest, loves animals, great with kids, a bit of a homebody but knows how to have fun”

“Sounds perfect.”

Tina grinned triumphantly at that.

“And yet,” Percival drawled, “Still single. Curious.”

Tina sniffed. 

“Well he’s a cop, isn’t he?” she reasoned. “You know how it is. The job doesn’t exactly work miracles for relationships.”

“That’s true. But I still feel like you’re leaving something out here.”

“I’m not leaving anything out. You’ll see for yourself, if you just give him a chance.”

Percival hummed noncommittally, knocking back the remainder of his coffee, before spotting his companion still looking at him out of the corner of his eye. He glanced over, his brows shooting up when he caught sight of the firm glare he was being levelled with. 

“What?”

“Just promise me you’ll be nice.”

Percival rolled his eyes.

“I’m always nice,” he said dismissively. 

He huffed himself when Tina’s glare morphed instantly into an expression of utter incredulity. He held up his hands ( as a display of added presence or surrender - he wasn’t entirely sure himself)

“I’m here aren’t I?” he said. “Agreeing to take a total stranger out for the day. Honestly, this is the nicest I’ve ever been.” 

“You were bribed with coffee,” Tina pointed out. 

Percival let his hands drop and gave a shrug. 

“Blackmailed really.”

Tina rolled her eyes despairingly, but before she could press the matter and further, the low rumble of voices, footsteps, and the odd rattling luggage tags and wheels caught both of their attention. The passengers were making their way out of the plane. 

Percival scoffed softly (and somewhat fondly, though he’d not admit to that) and took Tina’s empty coffee cup from her as she bobbed a little on the spot to catch sight of her fiance, a wide grin spreading across her face the second she did. Without another word she was off, zipping into the crowd and making a beeline towards a familiar and equally happy face. 

Percival watched in utter bemusement as, instead of embracing, like everyone else seemed to be doing - the two of them faltered the second they were in front of each other, almost as if both were unsure who exactly was taking the lead with this interaction. 

He arched his brow a little higher when, after a long moment of awkward indecisiveness Newt reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind Tina’s ear, a small smile twitching hesitantly at the corners of his lips. 

That seemed to break the stalemate of sorts, as the next second they were hugging as fiercely as any of the other couples around them. 

“Just gotta give them a moment to get going, then they’re magic,” observed a low and thoroughly amused voice beside him. 

Percival blinked, before looking sharply to his right. A man was standing there. No - a  _ goddamn gorgeous _ man was standing there, grinning conspiratorially  at him. A tall man with ginger hair and freckles, a bright grin and baby blue eyes and a distinct resemblance to Tina’s fiance - strong enough for them to pass as brothers. 

… oh no. Oh this wasn’t good. This wasn’t remotely what he’d been prepared for. 

He opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn’t get a word out to save his life! He was just standing there, flapping his jaw at one of the most handsome men he’s ever met, and the ground was very stubbornly not opening up and swallowing him like it rightly should be! 

To his credit, the other man, Theseus, seemed to take it all in his stride.

He nudged Percival’s shoulder teasingly and drawled, “You  _ are _ Percival Graves, yeah? I’ve not just sidled up to a complete stranger who just happened to be standing by Tina and bore a resemblance to the guy in the photos, right?” 

Percival blinked a couple more times, before clearing his throat and (thank christ!) finally responding. Though it wasn’t quite the suave, James Bond-esque introduction he’d been hoping for - but instead a rather strangled and confused sounding, “Photos?”

Theseus grinned even wider at that, an act which had the effect of brightening his already unfairly handsome face (Percival cursed Tina in his head. She could have at least warned him about that smile, dammit?!)

“A couple, yeah,” he confessed, rubbing the back of his neck bashfully. “Queenie’s doing - she’s been sending me candids.”

Percival’s brows furrowed all the more at that. 

“It  _ is _ a conspiracy.”

“Eh?”

“Nothing, sorry,” Percival said, shaking his head before slipping his hands into his pockets and turning to face the other man properly. “And what, may I ask, did you deduce from these images, Detective Inspector.”

Theseus smile took on a rather wicked at that.

“Well Captain,” he drawled, folding his arms over his chest, “I’ve deduced that you are a man that takes work seriously, has a strong appreciation for coffee, is a fan of classical literature and has some form of irish roots - if the shamrock coffee mug and claddagh ring are anything to go by.” He pressed a hand to his chest. “A man after my own heart,” he drawled. 

Percival, to his own quiet surprise, found himself smiling in response. 

“Not bad,” he said, running a hand through his hair. 

“How about you?” Theseus asked, motioning to himself with a little flourish of fingers. “Have you made deductions of your own?”

Percival hummed deeply and nodded. 

“I have,” he replied. “You and I are in for a very interesting day.” 

 


End file.
